Status of the Repository atStatus of the Repository at ... 1 July 13 2009/06_DIXON_July...Outline...

Status of the Repository atStatus of the Repository at Yucca Mountain

Presented to:DOE-EM Performance Assessment Community of Practice Technical Exchange Meeting

Presented by:Dr. Paul R. DixonNuclear Waste Program ManagerNuclear Waste Program ManagerLos Alamos National Laboratory

July 13-14, 2009Salt Lake City, UT

Outline

• Science and Regulatory Background I f tiInformation

• Status of Yucca Mountain License Applicationpp

• Q & A• Q & A

2LA-UR 09-04308 PACOP_Dixon_070709_Rev0.ppt

Yucca Mountain, Nevada

• Remote location• Remote location

• Located on secure, federally controlled land

• Located on secure, federally controlled land

• 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas in Nye

• 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas in Nye CountyCounty


Combined Geologic/Engineered System at YM


Expected inventory of waste to be receivedThe expected waste stream as set forth in the license application per the amended NWPA of 1987:

Waste Type Assemblies/Canisters Metric Tons of Heavy Metal (MTHM)

Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel (CSNF)

~221,000 / 7,500*

63,00063,000Commercial High

Level Waste 275

Defense High 9 300 4 667Defense High Level Waste ~9,300 4,667

DOE Spent Nuclear Fuel ~3,500 2,268

Naval Spent Nuclear Fuel 400 65

Total 70,000

*Transportation aging and disposal canisters (TADs)


Transportation, aging, and disposal canisters (TADs)

Note: ~50% of the DHLW and DOE SNF is orphaned by theamended NWPA of 1987

Regulatory Requirements in 10 CFR 63

• Mean dose limit is 15 mrem/yr for 10,000 years

• From 10,000 to 1 million years, the mean dose limit is 100 mrem/yr

• Dose to be calculated for reasonably maximally exposed individual (REMI) defined in regulation

• Mean values of current lifestyle and diet; drinks two liters/day of groundwater

Gro nd ater radioacti it concentration determined b dissol ing• Groundwater radioactivity concentration determined by dissolving annual contaminant quantity into a water demand of 3,000 acre-feet

• Need to consider features, events and processes (FEPs) more likelyNeed to consider features, events and processes (FEPs) more likely than 1 in 10,000 in 10,000 years (>10-8 per year frequency) with some exceptions specified by regulation


FEP’s (Features, Events and Processes)

• FEP’s areas:– Surface soils and topographySurface soils and topography – Unsaturated zone above the

repository Drip shield– Drip shield

– Waste package– Cladding – Waste form– Invert– Unsaturated zone below theUnsaturated zone below the

repository– Saturated zone


Risk-based Dose CriterionA i k b d d i i f YM h i l• A risk-based dose criterion for YM as the primary regulatory performance measure requires the Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA) to be probabilistic

• Mean annual calculated dose is the sum of mean annual doses for three different scenario classes conditioned by the likelihood of that scenario class likelihoods for all scenario classes sum to onescenario class, likelihoods for all scenario classes sum to one

• Regulators determine the risk–to-dose formulation that is to be assumed, so calculations of dose are relatable to risk.

• The TSPA is a method for providing quantitative estimates of future system performance, considering uncertainties and includes:

Consequences weighted by probability (i e regulate on risk)– Consequences weighted by probability (i.e., regulate on risk)– Account for uncertainties (regulate on mean risk but account for all

uncertainty)M t C l t i t l i f ll th i


– Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis of all three scenarios

TSPA predicts future repository performance


Status of Yucca Mountain LicenseStatus of Yucca Mountain License Application


History of site characterization studies and the site selection process


Authorization toAuthorization to

Yucca Mountain MilestonesAuthorization to

Receive & PossessAuthorization to

Receive & Possess

ConstructionAuthorizationConstructionAuthorization

Yucca Mountain License Application in NRC review 2009

DOE License Application

DOE License Application

AcceptanceReview

(docketing)September 8, 2008

AcceptanceReview

(docketing)September 8, 2008

License Applicationsubmitted

June 03, 2008

License Applicationsubmitted

June 03, 2008Congress

Approved Site2002

CongressApproved Site

2002President

R d dPresident

R d dRecommendedSite 2002

RecommendedSite 2002

SecretaryRecommended

Site 2002

SecretaryRecommended

Site 2002

ViabilityAssessment

ViabilityAssessmentAssessment

1998Assessment

1998

YM only site tobe characterized

1987

YM only site tobe characterized

1987Nuclear Waste

Policy Act1982

Nuclear WastePolicy Act

1982

Actions Completed

Future Milestones

Congress establishes a Repository Program as a National Policy 1982


19821982 a National Policy 1982

Status of the Yucca Mountain License Application NRC Reviewpp

• NRC review of the +8,000 page License Application (LA) and admitted support documentation

DOE has made electronicall a ailable on the NRC's eb pageDOE has made electronically available on the NRC's web page over 3.5 million documents, estimated to exceed 30 million pages) Review and hearing process will take three to four years.

Si N b 2008 th NRC i f th LA d• Since November 2008, the NRC review of the LA and supporting documentation has led to +400 Requests for Additional Information (RAI)

O 200 RAI’ i h lOver 200 RAI’s are in the postclosure areaThe remaining RAI’s are on Programmatic, EIS and PCSA issues

• RAI responses by the project are being well received by p y p j g ythe NRC

• A construction authorization can be granted only if the NRC concludes that the repository would meet all


NRC concludes that the repository would meet all regulatory requirements

Contentions and the Yucca Mountain License Application Processpp

• Affected parties (individuals, organizations and states) can submit concerns on the LA through a formal process

• Must have an admitted contention to be part of the licensing adjudicatory process

• The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board(s) will conduct y g ( )hearings that generally will be open to the public and oversee an adjudicatory process to review these contentions• Contentions submitted:

Surface, Subsurface, and PCSA: 45 contentionsPostclosure: 162 contentionsProgrammatic and EIS: 92 contentions

• The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has admitted all but• The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has admitted all but one of the contentions to the hearing process.

• Hearings on these contentions should begin in the summer 2009


2009

Change being driven by Politics

• The Administration (President, Secretary of Energy, and Senate majority leader Harry Reid) have decided to eliminate the Yucca Mountain Program whileeliminate the Yucca Mountain Program while developing disposal alternatives• Blue Ribbon Panel (Secretary of Energy Lead)• Blue Ribbon Panel (Secretary of Energy Lead)

1. The BRP will be formed in the summer of 2009

2. Mission:2. Mission:• Review NWPA decisions of 1982/1987• Determination of reprocessing viability (R&D focus)• Interim central storage or maintain on site storageInterim central storage or maintain on site storage

• Current Congressional language of the mission for the BRP indicate potentially a 2-3 year process


The Blue Ribbon Panel: What alternative concepts for waste disposal will

be reconsidered?The Panel will also consider: • Reprocessing• HLW disposal in salt

I t i t• Interim storage• Pu recycling• Etc …..


Funding and Political Status• Yucca Mountain funding is now limited to only those costs• Yucca Mountain funding is now limited to only those costs

necessary to participate in the NRC proceedings and an effort by the Administration to devise a new strategy toward waste di ldisposal– $ 288 million for FY 2009 – $ 197 million for FY 2010

• $30 million goes to support the Blue Ribbon Panel• Leaves ~$167 million for LA defense

• DOE-RW is no longer calling Yucca Mountain a “Project”;they are solely focused on supporting the NRC licensingthey are solely focused on supporting the NRC licensing process and are no longer doing any long term project planning, transportation or engineering work

• President has named Pete Miller to head Nuclear Energy and• President has named Pete Miller to head Nuclear Energy and RW will become a sub-department of NE

• The transportation EIS is complete and has undergone considerable public comment and is currently under revision


considerable public comment and is currently under revision

Nevada rail corridor

DOE proposes to construct a new 333-mile long rail line for


shipments from Caliente, Nevada to the proposed repository

Questions?Questions?


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